The South African Commercial Advertiser

The South African Commercial Advertiser was South Africa's first independent English-language newspaper.

Known by a few versions of its name: Often simply referred to as The Commercial Advertiser, it also occurs as The South African Commercial Advertiser and Mail, The S.A. Commercial Advertiser, The S.A. Commercial Advertiser and Mail, The S.A. Commercial Advertiser & Mail, The S.A. Advertiser and Mail, and so on. For a while also known as The Cape Town Mail.

Founded in Cape Town and edited by Thomas Pringle and John Fairbairn, printed by George Greig.

The first issue appeared on 7 January 1824 and it was to become a valuable source on 19th century Cape Town politics, life and culture, also publishing regular theatre reviews and advertisements for theatre productions, invaluable sources for theatre historians.

The newspaper twice banned by order of the Governor at the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset (5 May 1824 to 31 August 1825, and 10 March 1827 to 3 October 1828), but continued under the editorship of Fairbairn.

Later going through a series of mergers and name changes becoming the The Cape Town Mail (1841-1853), and from 1860, The Commercial Advertiser and Mail), it remained in print for 55 years, finally ceasing publication in 1879.